www.theasianstar.com Vol 22 - Issue 22
Saturday, July 2, 2022
After Moosewala’s murder, spotlight back on (Punjabi) gangs of Canada The Ruffians. That’s the name of a gang in Abbotsford area of British Columbia, Canada, cobbled together by Punjabi-origin people. Kal Dosanjh, a veteran police officer with the Vancouver police, says the three-yearold gang is the first of its kind — all its members are international students. With Goldy Brar, a gangster who travelled to Canada on a student visa in 2017, claiming responsibility for the killing of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala last month, Indo-Canadian gangs are once again under the scanner. The connection between crime lords in Canada and Punjab first came under global scrutiny in June 2021 when Toronto police busted an international drug racket in Brampton. Most of the 28 men arrested in the case were of Indian origin. The Toronto Sun newspaper called it the biggest drug seizure in the history of the local police — 1,000 kg of drugs worth $61 million, 48 firearms, $1 million in cash. “It’s the first time we have seen something at this level of sophistication,” Toronto Police chief James Ramer had said in a
press conference. A former Punjab DGP says drug smuggling from India to Canada has been going on for the last 10-15 years. “It’s a deadly cocktail. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India are part of the international drug route. Initially, smugglers here would use well-known courier companies to smuggle drugs. Then they started liquefying these for smuggling. Since pharmaceutical controls in the region are relatively lax, they have also been sending precursor drugs to Canada.” Kabaddi tournaments, a hit among the Punjabi diaspora, were also used as a drug conduit. Canada-based Ranjit Singh Aujla, alias Dara Muthada, who was wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the multi-crore Jagdish Bhola drug case, died of cardiac arrest at British Columbia on June 9. Ranjit was a former president of the British Columbia Kabaddi Federation. On February 10 this year, Sarbjit Singh Sander, another co-accused in the case, was found murdered in Langley, Canada. Sander would allegedly arrange couriers for transporting drugs.
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Freeland says gas price tax break is on the table but green transition is “urgent” The federal government says it isn’t removing the possibility that it could reduce gas taxes; however, high gas prices have shown the green transition is “more urgent than ever.” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made the comments this week while visiting an automotive parts manufacturer in Newmarket, Ontario. Freeland was asked about Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s call for the federal government to lower the carbon tax amid soaring prices at the gas pump. “When it comes to the price on pollution, I think that Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine has actually made the green transition more
urgent than ever. I really think that this war needs to make us understand as a world and
as Canadians how important it is to shift to a green economy,” Freeland said. Continued on Page 10...
Cyclist killed in collision with dump truck in downtown Vancouver Police are investigating after a cyclist was killed in a collision with a dump truck in downtown Vancouver Wednesday morning. The accident happened at the intersection of Pacific and Hornby streets around 7:30 a.m. The 28-year-old male cyclist died at the scene after efforts to save his life were unsuccessful. Police say the truck driver is co-operating with the investigation, and investigators do not believe speed or impairment were factors. Continued on Page 10...
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